Harry Kane scored twice and Dele Alli added another as Tottenham Hotspur claimed a 3-2 victory over Everton at White Hart Lane.
A ninth home league win in succession for the Lilywhites looked a formality when Kane found the net for a second time just before the hour.
Romelu Lukaku pulled one back in the final 10 minutes, though, and two more goals were to follow in added time - Alli flicking the ball home before sub Enner Valencia added some sparkle to the scoreline.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Tottenham Hotspur and Everton at White Hart Lane. This match pits together two sides among the top-seven elite in the top flight; Spurs sitting second in the table at the start of play and their opponents looking to break into the European spots thanks to some favourable results on Saturday afternoon.
It was another day of drama in the Premier League yesterday, with Arsenal and Manchester United both dropping points in what is turning into a very exciting race for the top four. Everton looked to be well out of the race just a couple of months back, the nadir coming in the home defeat to rivals Liverpool, but they have since made up plenty of ground and they now have momentum on their side. Spurs, meanwhile, occupy second place and have just the faintest of hopes of chasing down leaders Chelsea.
TEAM NEWS!
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR XI: Lloris, Walker, Dier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies, Wanyama, Dembele, Eriksen, Alli, Kane
EVERTON XI: Joel, Coleman, Baines, Williams, Funes Mori, Barry, Gana, Schneiderlin, Davies, Barkley, Lukaku
Starting with a look at the home team, boss Mauricio Pochettino has stuck with a winning formula by naming an unchanged side from the 4-0 win over Stoke City here last week. There had been questions over the fitness of Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Harry Kane, but all three of them have shaken off minor knocks picked up in that impressive triumph against the Potters and are named in a strong starting lineup.
There is a 200th Spurs appearance for Hugo Lloris in goal, who skippers a Tottenham side spearheaded once again by man of the moment Harry Kane. The Englishman, who collided with the post last weekend and was therefore a slight doubt today, scored his third hat-trick of 2017 last Sunday - all coming in the first half - to make him the first Lilywhites player to reach 20 or more goals in three-successive campaigns since Jimmy Greaves.
Kane now has 66 goals in 107 appearances for Tottenham and was this week backed by Alan Shearer to go on and become the Premier League's all-time leading scorer. Support will be offered by Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli - an attacking trident that is only matched by Chelsea's effervescent forward players - as Spurs look to strengthen their grip on second place. The inclusion of Alderweireld and Vertonghen at the back really is a major boost for them this afternoon.
In terms of the visitors, Ronald Koeman has made just the one alteration from last weekend's 2-0 home win over Sunderland, bringing in experienced midfielder Gareth Barry in place of Ademola Lookman. The inclusion of the ex-England international in the middle of the park will likely mean a more advanced role for Tom Davies, who is expected to start alongside Ross Barkley just off leading man Romelu Lukaku in a 4-3-2-1 formation.
While Kane is banging them in for fun for Tottenham, Lukaku has also enjoyed yet another prolific season in front of goal. Plenty of the pre-match talk has been about those two players for obvious reasons, as they joint-lead the Premier League scoring charts this term alongside Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez. Lukaku took his league tally for Everton to 60 last weekend, leaving him one strike from becoming the club's outright top scorer in the competition.
Overall, it is 17 goals for Lukaku this season - also one short of his previous career-best tally of 18, which he set last season. Barkley has also enjoyed a positive streak of form following what was a largely frustrating first half to the campaign for him, starting each of the Toffees' last 10 games now with his inclusion today. During that time, the Englishman has scored two and assisted three to prove that he is more than worthy of his spot in the team.
BENCH WATCH!
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUBS: Vorm, Trippier, Wimmer, Sissoko, Winks, Son, Janssen
EVERTON SUBS: Stekelenburg, Jagielka, Holgate, McCarthy, Mirallas, Lookman, Valencia
Plenty of quality options for Spurs to call upon if required, but they do look weak in the striking department. Kane is one of the stars of the season, though should he pick up an injury the hosts only really have Vincent Janssen to take his place. Everton have Lookman among their subs, meanwhile, having dropped out of the starting lineup from the win over Sunderland, while Enner Valencia offers further attacking depth.
Mauricio Pochettino has named an unchanged starting lineup from the 4-0 win over Stoke City, with Harry Kane, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld all passing fitness tests. Everton show one alteration from their 2-0 victory against Sunderland eight days ago, meanwhile, bringing in Gareth Barry for Ademola Lookman in midfield. Plenty of stars on show today, but none more so than Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku - the joint-leading scorers in the division.
Following an action-packed day of action on Saturday, Spurs still remain in second place and Everton are in seventh. The Lilywhites have emerged as the most serious challengers to Chelsea's crown, but the 10-point gap on their London rivals is surely insurmountable as we enter the final few months of the season. Liverpool and Manchester City sit one point further back, the latter boasting a game in hand on Spurs, while the margin on Arsenal is now three points after playing the same number of matches.
Even in the world of Tottenham, this has been a strange few weeks for them; a couple of poor league results and an early exit from the Europa League seeing the mood fall a little flat, but they are still just about in the title picture and also have an FA Cup quarter-final to look forward to. Spurs have been the most consistent side in the division behind Chelsea this term and, even if the Blues do run away with things at the top, finishing in their current spot of second would be a massive achievement.
The 4-0 win over Stoke City came at just the right time for the Lilywhites, on the back of that aforementioned shocker of a result at Wembley Stadium - again proving just how missed White Hart Lane will be. It is still just the two wins in their last five Premier League outings, though, and three in seven overall, so they will now be targeting another consistent run of victories, starting with what would be another big result by seeing off Everton today.
Spurs certainly have a nice run of games to come on the back of this one, with this their toughest test until the final weeks of the season when they take on top-four rivals Arsenal. Southampton, Bournemouth, Burnley, Swansea City, Burnley, Watford and Leicester City are all to come before that potentially huge North London derby, giving the Lilywhites a chance to put some distance between themselves and their rivals in the hunt for Champions League football.
DID YOU KNOW? Tottenham Hotspur have been consistently impressive at White Hart Lane this season, brushing aside Stoke City last weekend to make it eight league wins in succession here. The Lilywhites are the only English top-flight team yet to taste defeat on their own patch, drawing just twice, but they have never previously won nine on the bounce during the Premier League era - a chance to make history in their final campaign at this famous venue.
Following on from that previous point, Spurs last won nine top-flight games in a row at White Hart Lane in the 1986-87 season. They last failed to register a goal here 14 months and 21 games ago when losing 1-0 to eventual champions Leicester City in January 2016. Put simply, Tottenham have turned this into a real fortress this season and will always be backed as favourites when playing here no matter who the opponent.
Tottenham Hotspur will soon be saying goodbye to their White Hart Lane home, but before doing so at the end of the season they can create some club history. Victory over an Everton side still harbouring hopes of breaking into the top four will make it nine in a row here - their best-ever run during the Premier League era. The gap on leaders Chelsea stands at ten points prior to kickoff, while Arsenal are three points adrift of the Lilywhites in fifth.
Everton have been quietly going about their business under the impressive Ronald Koeman since the turn of the year, going on a long unbeaten run to just about remain in the European picture. The top seven are very much creating their own breakaway division at the moment, but just how realistic are the Toffees' hopes of making up the gap on the top four? One team at a time will be the message from Koeman to his players, knowing that Man United - five points ahead - are there for the taking.
Defeat to Liverpool just before Christmas - a poor game of football that took a late Sadio Mane goal to liven it up - left Everton essentially jostling for position in the lower reaches of the top half. Koeman never gave up hope of seeing his side click into top gear, though, and buoyed by some new additions in January, plus the emergence of Tom Davies in midfield, they now look a real force. Everton fans will hope that Koeman is here for the long haul, though those Barcelona rumours just will not go away at the moment.
Since losing to their Merseyside rivals, the Toffees have not tasted defeat in nine games. That run includes 21 points being collected from a possible 27, seeing them claw to within eight points of the top four and within six of fifth place. Everton are targeting European football under Koeman, and the Dutchman rightly pointed out recently that a backdoor route into the Europa League is a possibility should one of the division's elite win the FA Cup, thus freeing up a spot.
While that backdoor route is a possibility, Koeman knows that it is still very much in his side's hands in terms of their prospects of finishing in the top five. The Toffees have had a nice run of games since losing to Liverpool in December, although it is worth mentioning that 4-0 destruction of Man City at Goodison Park recently - one of the standout results of this Premier League season and one that suggested they should not be discredited in the race for a top-five finish.
Everton cruised to victory in their last meeting with a top-seven rival, then, while also beating Arsenal and drawing with Man United prior to that Liverpool setback. All-in-all the Toffees are now unbeaten in nine matches, which is their best run since 2013 when going 10 games before tasting defeat. Victory today would take them to 47 points for the season, equalling their final tally from the past two seasons - quite some job achieved by Koeman in his maiden campaign on Merseyside.
It is fair to say that Lukaku has been the key cog in this Everton side once again this season, even if his teammates are contributing far more this time around compared to last season. The Belgium international has scored the opening goal in seven Premier League games this season - more than any other player heading into this latest round of fixtures. As mentioned a little earlier, he also has 17 goals for the campaign and requires just one more to match his career-best tally of 18 in a single season.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Everton are winless in eight games against Tottenham Hotspur since December 2012, but the past three encounters have all finished level. In fact, the most recent 10 fixtures between these two sides have either ended all square or been won by a one-goal margin of victory, so a tight affair can be expected today. The Toffees' 2-0 loss in January 2012 is the only time in the past decade a Premier League match between the two has featured a winning margin of two or more goals.
With kickoff at White Hart Lane now less than 10 minutes, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Mauricio Pochettino: "I saw my name because it's a big list; 100 names. It's like if I was gone I saw a list of 50 names to replace me. Like always, I told you, football is a business I know very well. I was born with a ball in my arms and I understand very well the business. I don't take it like a flattering or a prize. We are in one of the biggest clubs in Europe. For me Tottenham is one of the biggest clubs. We are in a position where you can see we play very good football, exciting team, very good players."
Ronald Koeman: "Of course. Every word from my side about Barcelona is too much. I don't speak about Barcelona. [Pochettino] is also managing a big club. I think he is happy. I will ask him on Sunday if he likes to move to Barcelona!"
It is not at all surprising to see both of these managers linked with the Barcelona job over the past week. Luis Enrique is to step aside in the summer and fresh blood is required, which the bookies seem to think will be either Ernesto Valverde or Jorge Sampaoli. Pochettino has links to the city following his time with Espanyol, while Koeman is strongly affiliated with the Catalan giants following his spells at Camp Nou as a player and coach.
Pochettino is 'not surprised' to see his name on the list of options to take over from Enrique, but both he and Koeman remained coy on the speculation. Should either depart for one of the more challenging jobs in world football at the end of the campaign, their respective clubs would have to rebuild. That is for then, though - at this moment in time all fans truly care about is reaching their targets for the campaign.
Both sets of players are now out on the field of play, with kickoff at White Hart Lane just a couple of minutes away. Tottenham Hotspur are aiming to win a ninth top-flight home game on the spin for the first time in their Premier League history, while Everton need three points to keep alive their hopes of a top-five finish this term. The Toffees have not tasted defeat in nine matches, spearheaded by Romelu Lukaku who comes up against a rival for the top-scoring crown in Harry Kane.
KICKOFF! Tottenham get us up and running at White Hart Lane, where the London sun is beaming down. Gueye sends in a decent delivery early on, which was very nearly met nine yards out by Davies following a well-timed run.
I mentioned before the match that these matches do tend to be tight affairs, and that is already clear to see in the opening three minutes. Plenty of battling in midfield - the area of the pitch where this game will be won or lost.
Barry is the player brought in by Koeman to add a little steel in front of the back four. Already the Englishman has faced Alli charging straight at him, sticking out a leg to concede a free kick which is whacked into the wall.
PENALTY APPEAL! Vertonghen getting the better of his first dual with compatriot Lukaku, keeping his eye on the ball and brilliantly putting an end to a potentially dangerous moment. Walker then called for a penalty when brought down by Baines, but the Toffees' full-back did get a foot to the ball to help his cause.
Tottenham the team enjoying more of the ball in the opening throes of this contest, without really troubling the Toffees' backline all that much. Only talking point so far is that penalty shout, which referee Michael Oliver was right to turn down.
Davies is not a player known for scoring goals from the back, but when given the chance to cut in from the left he only had one thing on his mind - shoot! Very good block from Barry thwarts him, though, with the Englishman standing firm.
Dele Alli the latest Spurs player to take on a shot from range, which this time appeared to hit teammate Kane. Lack of creativity at the moment, in truth, with those punts from distance the only potential route through.
Still pretty much constant pressure from Spurs, without being able to find a route through. Everton happy to sit back and soak up the pressure, which they are doing with ease at the moment. Still early days, mind!
Joel's long ball is nearly latched on to by Lukaku, but Lloris read the danger and quickly raced out to collect. The Toffees yet to have a shot of any sort, while all three of Tottenham's have been blocked aside.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-0 EVERTON (HARRY KANE)
There is no stopping him at the moment! I mentioned just a few moments ago that the only real route through for Tottenham is to take on shots from range - well for the first time today one of those efforts is on target, with Kane's belter from 30 yards flying past Robles. Keeper should have done better.
SAVE! Robles, beaten too easily from distance by Kane for that opener, makes amends by denying the striker from just a few yards out on this occasion. Good link-up play between the Englishman and Eriksen, but he could not squeeze it past the keeper when one-on-one.
Spurs really in their groove now, again coming close to a second through a right-sided Walker cross into the path of Kane. The striker failed to get any real contact on the ball, though, and Robles was there to collect at the front post.
CLOSE! Everton cannot handle their opponents at the moment, as Walker slots the ball through for Eriksen to chase down. The Dane had time but went with a first-time attempt, which was dragged wide of the target.
That goal for Kane makes it 13 in 12 for him this calendar year, including three hat-tricks. Funes Mori brings down Kane but avoids being shown a yellow card on his birthday, with the free kick slightly overhit and going straight out.
OFF THE POST! Not quite sure how Tottenham have not bagged themselves a second - they have been relentless since going ahead. Wanyama takes on the shot from 25 yards and is denied only by the post, before an offside Kane fluffed his lines from the rebound.
YELLOW CARD! Idrissa Gueye is the first player to be shown a caution after bringing down Davies. Koeman will just want half time right about now, as his team are holding on at the moment and lucky not to be two down.
The visitors finally manage to get out of their own final third and call Lloris into action. Barkley's cross was into a dangerous area, where Lukaku was waiting to pounce, but the Lilywhites' skipper got his name to the ball first.
A more evenly-balanced game over the past five minutes or so in North London. A cross into the Spurs box had a tad too much on it for Lukaku to bring down, while Coleman could not quite keep it in play at the back post.
Little between the teams now, with Tottenham ruing their failure to not put the game to bed when well on top a little earlier. The Toffees win a corner which is just about dealt with by the Lilywhites, as we approach the final five minutes of the half.
A bland end to the opening 45 minutes, with the teams going back to cancelling each other out in the middle of the park. Spurs still the more likely to find a second goal, though, as Eriksen's knockdown towards the back post fails to find Kane.
Spurs still hold a one-goal lead as we approach the midway point, courtesy of a long-range strike from the division's top scorer. Kane also saw a one-on-one attempt kept out and Wanyama struck the post in a half the Lilywhites have largely bossed.
Williams does well to stand firm and clear away a deep Dier cross. A minute likely to be all that is added on at the end of this first half, which has badly petered out since around the half-hour mark when Wanyama came close.
HALF TIME: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-0 EVERTON
The half-time whistle sounds at White Hart Lane, bringing an end to a half largely dominated by the home team. Harry Kane's 18th Premier League goal of the season, fizzing past Joel Robles, is the least that the Lilywhites deserve on the balance of the opening 45 minutes in North London.
The hosts' only real sight of goal in the opening quarter of the match came from distance, as Ben Davies and Dele Alli both saw attempts blocked aside from the edge of the box. Harry Kane had better luck 20 minutes in, however, sending the first on-target shot of the afternoon fizzing past Joel Robles from all of 30 yards out. Robles will feel that he perhaps should have done better to get across to his right and keep the ball out, but he did make amends moments later when denying Kane from a one-on-one attempt.
Spurs enjoyed a 10-minute spell in complete control of the game, seeing Christian Eriksen drag a first-time shot wide when played through by Kyle Walker from deep following a similar chance for Kane. Everton, on their best run of form in four years after going nine without defeat prior to today, were having to hold on and really should have been two down when Victor Wanyama's deflected effort beat Robles but came back off the post.
The final 15 minutes of the half were a little more balanced, yet it was still the Lilywhites who were looking the more threatening when in possession. Half time came at a good time for Everton, who may well use the interval as a chance to bring on a fresh pair of legs and potentially a change in system. Here is a reminder of both teams' benches...
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUBS: Vorm, Trippier, Wimmer, Sissoko, Winks, Son, Janssen
EVERTON SUBS: Stekelenburg, Jagielka, Holgate, McCarthy, Mirallas, Lookman, Valencia
RESTART! We are back up and running in North London, where both teams remain unchanged from the end of the first half. Much more required from Everton in this second half, while Tottenham Hotspur need to just continue from where they left off.
Davies and Coleman go in fully committed for a 50-50 ball, both coming out unscathed when it could have ended badly. Much like at the start of the first half, both teams just cancelling each other out at the moment in midfield.
A rather ominous stat as far as Everton are concerned - they have failed to win all 11 previous Premier League games against Spurs in which they've trailed at half-time, losing nine and drawing two. That will not change at this rate.
Not the best of atmospheres around White Hart Lane today, which is probably down to the kickoff time. Wanyama has picked up a little knock and is now receiving treatment, so Pochettino may be forced into a change in personnel.
CHANCE! Closest either side has come to finding the net since the half-hour mark, as Dele Alli is picked out eight yards from goal but can only direct his header right down the middle for Joel Robles to collect.
SAVE! Spurs finally moved back out of first gear, sending a second shot on target in the space of two minutes. Vertonghen burst forward from the back and was able to test Robles with a belter from the angle.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2-0 EVERTON (HARRY KANE)
Kane scores his second of the afternoon to surely make it nine home wins in a row for Spurs. The high press pays off, as Schneiderlin is caught in possession and Kane slotted through on goal. You would have put your life on him tucking it past Robles in this form - he did exactly that to double his tally.
Everton have not really looked like scoring all afternoon, failing to register a single attempt on target. Koeman still not ready to change things, though, and Pochettino is still deliberating over his first sub of the afternoon.
Mirallas and McCarthy look likely to be introduced for Everton, 10 minutes after being sent out to warm up. A goal for Everton changes the complexion of the match, but right now this is set to be a straightforward home win.
Barry swings the ball into the box from out wide on the left, but he only had Lukaku to aim for and failed to find his intended target. The Toffees desperately need to try something different, with the Belgian isolated up top.
EVERTON SUBS! Here comes that double change for the Toffees - Mirallas and McCarthy on for Davies and Barry. That should see the Toffees go more attacking, knowing that they now have nothing to lose.
This second half is a complete replica of the first - Tottenham stepping things up after a quiet start, scoring the goal and then simply knocking the ball around. Very little action at the moment which will suit Pochettino just fine.
Vertonghen with another of those trademark bursts forward, which this time ends with his shot being blocked by Funes Mori on the edge of the area. Mirallas picks up the ball and takes on the shot, seeing the effort trickle wide.
Less than a quarter of the match left to play now and, on the basis of the previous 72 minutes, it is going to be a cruise over the line for Tottenham. The visitors have failed to turn up this afternoon and face a first defeat in 10.
Seen more from Barkley over the past three or four minutes than in the previous 70 combined. A nice bit of interplay ends with his shot from 25 yards flying over the bar - a rare attempt from an Everton player in this one-sided match.
A fine Spurs move culminates in Davies picking out Walker towards the back post; the Englishman in turn squaring for Kane who was flagged for offside. Good stop from Robles, regardless, as we enter the final 15 minutes here.
YELLOW CARD! Coleman makes good inroads down the right and is able to cut inside. Heading towards the box, Mousa Dembele was happy to halt his run to concede a free kick and pick up a yellow in the process.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! Winks is on for Dembele in the hosts' first change of the afternoon. The youngster has been impressive in his cameo displays this term and has another chance to prove his worth to the team.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2-1 EVERTON (ROMELU LUKAKU)
We finally have a game on our hands at White Hart Lane! Lukaku made the most of Vertonghen's slip and kept his composure to get the beating of Lloris when one-on-one, making him the Toffees' outright record scorer in the Premier League.
CHANCE! Far more entertainment on offer now following that Everton goal. Kane with a chance to score yet another hat-trick, but his attempted lob was blocked by Robles. Up the other end, Lukaku's shot is easily stopped by Lloris.
Everton asking plenty of questions now and all of a sudden Tottenham are panicking. The hosts deal with a corner and look to break, but it came to little as Kane's curler flew a yard or so over Robles' crossbar.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR SUB! Smart sub made by Pochettino, who brings on Sissoko for Eriksen. Valencia replaced Gueye for the visiting team a little earlier, so Koeman clearly now going all out in the closing stages.
We are now into four minutes of added time at White Hart Lane. Everton, out of this game for so long, now suddenly have a new lease of life and are desperately pushing for a leveller. Spurs just need to hold on for what would be another big win.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 3-1 EVERTON (DELE ALLI)
Forget holding on - Spurs have made certain of the points by scoring a third of the afternoon. It was a superb finish from Dele Alli to flick the ball past Robles and surely making it nine home wins on the spin for the Lilywhites.
GOAL! TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 3-2 EVERTON (ENNER VALENCIA)
Now then! Valencia, on the field for just 10 minutes, sweeps home a cross into the box to give Everton just a glimmer of hope of rescuing a point. We are officially into added time in added time, so fashioning another chance will be tough.
FULL TIME: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 3-2 EVERTON
And breathe! Referee Michael Oliver brings an end to the match, which Tottenham Hotspur deservedly won in the end. For so long Harry Kane's brace looked like being the difference, but three further goals arrived in the final 10 minutes to add a sparkle to the scoreline. The Lilywhites are now just seven points adrift of leaders Chelsea, while Everton's top-five hopes are now in tatters.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at White Hart Lane. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while updates from the late kickoff between Sunderland and Manchester City can be found here. Thanks for joining!
